A Norfolk farmer has sown a spectacular sea of sunflowers – by mistake.

Robert Hambidge planned to plant a mixture of seed-bearing flowers in a strip alongside his cropped fields as a food source for wild birds on the farm at Pudding Norton, near Fakenham.

"But when I opened the bag I thought it looked a little light on sunflower seeds, so I purchased a whole bag of sunflower seeds and added them in," he said. "I have probably overdone it by a factor of 100 by the look of it - but they look really striking."

Mr Hambidge, a former mayor of Dereham, said part of the reason he wanted to bolster the golden yellow colour in his field margins was to show how public money was being spent on ecological measures through the farm's Countryside Stewardship scheme.

"I am next to the main road and what I do is quite visible to the public, so I was hoping that people will see these yellow strips and see what they are getting for their money," he said. "Hopefully they will see they are getting good value.

Some of the sea of sunflowers at Pudding Norton Farm near Fakenham

"If you look at it there is all manner of seed-bearing plants in there for the birds during the winter. And the number of bees is amazing - there is a bee on every sunflower."

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Eastern Daily Press. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years, through good times and bad, serving as your advocate and trusted source of local information. Our industry is facing testing times, which is why I’m asking for your support. Every single contribution will help us continue to produce award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.